Yo, what’s good, my fellow weed enthusiasts? You ever wondered what this green herb does to our brains? Well, you’ve come to the right place, my dude. This article is all about the effects of weed on our brains and what we need to know before we light up.
Weed, also known as marijuana, has a chemical called THC that comes from the cannabis plant. When we smoke or consume it, the THC activates receptors in our brain that are responsible for our learning, emotions, appetite, pleasure, coordination, and balance. But even though there have been tons of studies on weed, scientists still aren’t sure about its effects on our brains.
Some people say that weed’s compounds, called cannabinoids, can even be used for therapeutic purposes with the help of a healthcare professional. But listen up – if we don’t use weed responsibly, it can have some real negative effects on our bodies and brains.
So what does smoking weed feel like? When we smoke weed, the THC and other compounds enter our bloodstream and travel to our brain and the rest of our body. If we eat edibles instead of smoking, it can take up to an hour for us to feel anything because the weed passes through our digestive system first.
Most people who smoke weed feel relaxed and euphoric. Some even say that their senses become heightened and they start seeing brighter colors. But if we’re beginners or if we accidentally use a strain that’s too strong for us, we might end up feeling anxious, fearful or horrified instead of chill. Large doses of marijuana can even lead to acute psychosis which includes hallucinations, delusions and a loss of sense of self. But don’t worry – these bad effects will only last for a short time and aren’t the same as long-lasting psychotic diseases like schizophrenia.
So what happens to our brains when we ingest weed? The THC in weed has a similar molecular structure to a neurotransmitter called anandamide. Anandamide is responsible for transmitting chemical signals between nerve cells throughout our neurological system. The similarity allows the THC chemical to be recognized by our brain and bind itself to molecules in brain regions called cannabinoid receptors.
This binding messes with our brain’s normal activity and affects a bunch of functions like perception, pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, balance, coordination and reaction time. So basically if we smoke weed, we shouldn’t try to drive or do anything physical like exercising or playing sports.
When our brain is exposed to certain levels of THC through cannabinoid receptors it activates the reward system in our brain. This system controls how we react to enjoyable activities like sex and eating. THC stimulates this reward system to produce dopamine at higher levels than usual in response to enjoyable stimuli. This surge in dopamine is why people can get addicted to weed because it basically motivates us to repeat pleasurable actions which might lead to an overdose if we’re not careful.
Some people develop tolerance for weed which means they need higher doses to reach the same initial experience or effect. Daily use can increase the likelihood of addiction from 25% to 50%. Yikes!
Studies show that exposure to weed substances during development can have negative long-term or even permanent effects on the brain’s activity in humans and animals. Some studies even suggest that using weed can lower IQs especially when it’s used from adolescence into adulthood. But not all research supports this claim since there are lots of other factors that could affect these results like genetics and environment.
So there you have it folks – smoking weed has short and long-term consequences for our bodies and brains. While some people think it’s a modern-day miracle drug others think its drawbacks outweigh any potential benefits. At the end of the day it’s up to us to use self-control and make choices that will protect us from any possible negative effects from prolonged cannabis use. Stay lit but stay safe!
